Who Cares About Him When I'm Married to the Richest Man?-Chapter 169: Gifting a House

Grandma Fitzwilliam sat there calmly, not defending this grandson like she used to.

The family wasn’t short on children, and she wasn’t the kind of elder who cherished her grandchildren dearly. Before the old man passed away, he favored Phillip Fitzwilliam, and she personally raised Zion Fitzwilliam. Naturally, she leaned towards Zion.

This dinner was bound to be a gathering of strange characters each showing their abilities, and she certainly wouldn’t fall for it.

She glanced at Phillip and said in a harsh tone, "I don’t blame Zion for getting angry. Pip, Elara is your sister-in-law, and you should show her basic respect. Divorcee—so what? As long as a person is good and of good character, I don’t care about how many times they’ve been married. You’re a young person of the new era, yet you’re more feudal than I am?"

Her words were both educational and a reprimand, which not only changed Phillip’s expression but also silenced both Leonard Fitzwilliam and Gregory Fitzwilliam.

Phillip causing trouble was part of their plan, intending to see how much this woman, who suddenly appeared, meant to the old lady and Zion.

And now, they got their answer.

She mattered a lot, so much so that Zion, who usually ignored them at home, acted out in their presence, and the old lady who usually favored Pip admonished him harshly.

This made matters more complicated.

Before the old man passed away, he skipped his sons’ generation and directly handed the family to Zion, who had already been entrenched in the family business for over a decade.

They had thought about underhanded tactics, but Zion was impeccably protected by the old lady when he was young, and by the time he grew up, his capabilities were formidable, leaving them helpless.

But since Zion had remained single for a long time, not even having a girlfriend, not marrying meant no children. Without children, there was no successor, and eventually, the family would return to their hands.

Even if Zion someday wanted to marry, as long as they held tight to the choice of partner, they still had a chance. So these years, both families actively searched for suitable noblewomen as reserves, ready to propose them at the first sign of Zion wanting to marry.

Whether advancing or retreating, they had the best countermeasures in place.

But unexpectedly, within a year of opening a branch in Northgarde, Zion found a woman and silently got married!

And they were married for over half a year without them getting wind of it!

If it weren’t for the leak from the old lady’s side, they’d still be in the dark.

And now, they’ve discovered another devastating news.

Zion was serious about this woman.

The old lady heavily favored this woman too.

What path lay for them now?

As long as this couple lived well, they’d eventually have a successor, and there was nothing left for them to play for!

Neither Leonard Fitzwilliam nor Gregory Fitzwilliam took Damian Fitzwilliam and Lucy Taylor seriously; the two were love-obsessed fools, aimlessly indulging in leisure, with Damian having given up his inheritance rights for Lucy.

The atmosphere in the room was momentarily stiff, even Elara could feel it.

She looked uneasily at Zion, whose hand gently covered hers under the table, his face still cold and stern, "Let’s eat."

With his word, everyone began to eat, and with everyone’s efforts, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Uncle Leonard Fitzwilliam gave a look to his younger daughter, Lina Fitzwilliam.

Lina immediately stood up, walked over to Elara with a smile, and said, "Second sister-in-law, this gathering was so sudden. I didn’t have a chance to prepare anything. Here’s a pair of little bunnies I just bought while shopping; consider it a wedding gift for you and second brother."

Elara looked at the exquisite box and the two purple plush bunnies displayed inside.

This should have been an ordinary gift, if not for her knowing the brand of these bunnies.

A new release by a famous American luxury brand this year, priced at 60,000. Jean Dunn had been eyeing these bunnies for a long time but couldn’t bring herself to buy them.

After all, not everyone has the courage to spend 60,000 on a pair of plush bunnies, especially those in the working class.

Earning just several thousand a month, neither Elara nor Jean Dunn could afford to spend over a month’s salary on plush toys.

Yet the girl in front of her, smilingly, gave them away so casually as a gift.

The odd feeling in Elara’s heart grew, but she took it anyway, saying, "Thank you, the bunnies are very cute."

She accepted the gift, and Lina was delighted, "Glad you like them."

Phillip sneered, "Sycophant!"

After the earlier trials and warnings, he didn’t dare provoke Elara and Zion again, but he wasn’t afraid of Lina.

Lina glared at him but didn’t bother to engage, returning to her seat.

The atmosphere became more relaxed, and after the meal, Leonard Fitzwilliam and Gregory Fitzwilliam left with their families.

Lucy Taylor and Damian Fitzwilliam politely chatted with Elara before leaving.

The room was left with just Zion, Elara, and Grandma Fitzwilliam.

Grandma mysteriously called Elara over and handed her a red book.

Elara looked down at it, stunned.

Property deed?

Grandma then placed a key in her hand, "Child, you have a home now, one entirely yours to call the shots. No matter what, this home is your backing."

Elara saw the affection for her in the grandmother’s eyes.

She remained stunned until Grandma patted her shoulder, "You haven’t eaten much tonight. Let Zion accompany you for a while more, I’ll have your father take me home first."

Elara snapped back to reality, quickly trying to support her, but Grandma waved her hand, "I’m not immobile, don’t worry about me, you two eat."

Grandma’s grip was strong, keeping Elara from moving, but Elara couldn’t sit still with peace of mind, insisting on escorting Grandma out.

Indeed, Damian and Lucy hadn’t left. Seeing Grandma come down, Damian opened the car’s back door, "Mom, get in."

Then he greeted Elara with a nod before driving away.

The whole time, he didn’t spare his own son a glance.

After they left, Elara curiously asked Zion, "You don’t get along with your dad, do you?"

It seemed they barely spoke a word all evening.

Zion was silent for a couple of seconds before replying, "When my mom was pregnant, she was curious about the gender, went for an ultrasound, and they said it was a girl. She was overjoyed, decorated a beautiful nursery, and my dad made lots of small furniture. They eagerly awaited their daughter, but in the end, out came a son."

Elara: ...

Got it, he was neglected.

She couldn’t help but laugh, "Just for that, you weren’t favored at home?"

Zion hummed in agreement, "They always wanted a daughter, but couldn’t have one, so they had to settle for having only a son."

Elara couldn’t hold back a giggle, "Your parents are quite something."

Zion secretly agreed, knowing his parents had even bought an island, living blissfully together every day.

No ordinary person would do such a thing.

However, Zan thought, if he and Elara were to one day buy an island to spend the rest of their lives, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

He looked down and asked, "Are you still hungry?"

Elara quickly shook her head, "Thanks to you giving me a sandwich and milk beforehand, I only had a few bites at the table and was full."

Zion nodded, "Then let’s head back."

In the car.

Zion held the steering wheel with one hand and handed Elara her bag with the other, "Put the house deed away, isn’t it tiring to keep holding it?"

Elara snapped back to reality; she had been holding the deed dazedly.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she quickly handed it over, "Uh, why don’t you keep it?"

Zion shook his head, "Grandma gave it to you, so you should keep it."

Elara hesitated for a moment and finally put it in her bag.

After all, it was a house for the two of them; their names should be on it, so it didn’t matter if she kept it.

As long as they could sort things out later if needed.

Just then, she noticed the unopened red envelope in her bag. It was her first time receiving such a big one, and she was really curious about how much was inside.

Zion smirked slightly, keeping his eyes on the road, encouraging her, "Open it and see."

Elara chuckled and opened the envelope.

A small bundle of money came out, and as she counted, she exclaimed, "Five thousand!"

It turned out her earlier guess was right; Zion’s family wasn’t like his uncle’s. Holding this money, she didn’t feel uneasy.

Suddenly noticing something hard inside the envelope, she quickly reached in to take it out.

Zion saw it but said nothing, just smiled.

Elara was shocked to find a bank card in her hand, albeit late.

What was she just thinking?

Three bank cards were lined up on her lap, and Elara felt that something was increasingly off.

She looked up, somewhat nervously asking Zion, "Do you know how much money is on this card from your dad?"

Zion shook his head, "No idea."

After a pause, he added, "But he said it’s for our renovations, so it should be a substantial amount."

Elara let out a dry laugh, thinking how coincidental it was that she felt the same way.

"Can you stop by the bank ahead?" Elara clutched the bank card and looked at Zion, "I want to see how much is in there."

If it’s not much, she could accept it, but if it was too much, she definitely couldn’t take the money.

Zion didn’t refuse, and soon parked outside a bank. Elara got out of the passenger seat, Zion glanced outside; the streetlight wasn’t very bright, it was dark, so he got out too, accompanying her to the ATM.

The bank card didn’t have a password. Elara inserted the first card, from her Uncle Leonard.

Balance: six hundred thousand.

Elara’s hand trembled as she inserted the second card, from her Uncle Gregory.

Balance: three hundred eighty thousand.

The third card, the renovation money from Damian.

Balance: six million.

Elara was numb for a few seconds, then stepped out. Zion asked, "Is it a lot?"

Elara nodded, a lot, so much it felt like burning her hands.

Without any hesitation, she shoved the cards back into his hand, "Uncle Leonard gave six hundred thousand, Uncle Gregory thought three hundred eighty thousand, and your dad gave...six million."

Receiving red envelopes from his family gave her a strange feeling, as if money wasn’t money, but just a string of numbers.

Zion held the cards, frowned, a bit dissatisfied, "Uncle Gregory only gave three hundred eighty thousand?"

Like he was giving a beggar.

Elara: Only???

Do you hear yourself?

She eventually swallowed her words.

Not the same education system, maybe their concept of money is different.

Zion handed the three bank cards back to Elara, "They gave these to you, so just keep them."

Elara adamantly refused to accept, "It’s over six million; please don’t joke."

Who was she to take over six million from someone?

Zion insisted on putting the bank cards into her pocket, "It’s our shared assets, keeping them with you, what’s wrong with that? I’m reckless; if I manage the money, I’d quickly spend it all."

Elara really couldn’t take these funds with a clear conscience, not even as safekeeping. She tried to return them, but then heard Zion’s faint voice asking, "Are you planning to divorce me in the future, so you don’t want to get financially entangled with me?"

His eyes lowered, seemingly a bit hurt, "What’s done can’t be undone between us; you said you’d be responsible. I thought we’d reached an understanding, to support and grow old with each other. But you don’t even want to manage our joint assets... Are you just biding your time, then planning to divorce?"

Elara:...?

These words didn’t sound right, as if he was accusing her of being a major jerk.

But with what happened, wasn’t it typically the woman who suffers? Consider his sexual orientation, and it’s hard to say who lost out—it’s not a typical case anyway.

Elara tried to explain, "I don’t intend to divorce you; it’s just that there’s no actual feelings between us, and since it concerns money, especially so much, it would be clearer to keep it distinct..."

She hadn’t finished speaking when Zion suddenly leaned down and kissed her.

The kiss was so sudden that Elara was completely unprepared, staring wide-eyed at the man so close to her.

Zion also kept his eyes open, his dark eyes quietly watching her.

Thump, thump.

Not sure whose heartbeat was suddenly racing, a bit belatedly.

Their breathing sounds intertwined chaotically, and the kiss was pure and restrained.

After a long while, Zion released her.

Elara still hadn’t fully recovered, only hearing him say, "Since we’re going to spend our lives together, why don’t we try to see if we can develop feelings for each other?"

Elara stared blankly at him, thinking there wasn’t a need to "try," as she was already quite fond of him.

Then again, if he’s willing to try to develop feelings with her, it’s a good thing, right? If genuine feelings develop, she would have achieved her hopes.

Her mind was in a jumble, and Zion was already holding her hand, placing her back into the car.

The car continued moving forward, and the interior became quiet as a mouse.